In this press article released by the New York University (NYU) Medical Center, it is believed that the esophagus, the passage from which food moves down between the throat and the stomach, may actually be a reservoir for bacterial growth and is no longer deemed sterile.
A study done by the NYU School of Medicine scientists, authored by Martin J. Blaser, MD, chairman of the Department of Medicine and professor of Microbiology, stated that not only does bacteria travel to the stomach via the esophagus as passengers on the food that is ingested, but a diverse amount of bacteria also live in the esophagus. The biological  study, printed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proves that there are indigenous microbes living in the esophagus.
So what impact does this recent biological study have on medicine and other related sciences? The findings strongly encourage further research and experiments in treating diseases that involve the esophagus and the digestive system. One such disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, a common ailment in the United States wherein the acidic food contents of the stomach are regurgitated instead of proceeding to the small intestine for digestion, could be a potential study. GERD can lead to a predisposition called Barrett’s esophagus with its chronic irritation and inflammation, may possibly lead to esophageal cancer. GERD is usually treated symptomatically with anti-emetics as the cause of this disease is yet to be determined. If a certain type of bacteria is found in the esophagus and said to cause the disease, the use of antibiotics will greatly aid in the treatment and healing process.
The NYU researchers  and scientists have been speculating that the esophagus is more than capable to host microbes. Bacteria have been known to grow anywhere, even in harsh conditions, as stated in this article, from hot springs to volcanoes. Dr. Blaser also stated that scientists discovered that the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria associated with ulcers, can live in the acid environment of the stomach. Because of this finding ulcers are now successfully treated with antibiotics. To compare the esophagus and the stomach, the esophagus appears to have a more conducive environment for bacterial growth.
Hence the reason why the NYU researchers decided to focus their study on the esophagus. They wanted to determine whether disease-causing bacteria lived in the esophagus. The challenge was something to reckon with. After all, previous studies have indicated that bacteria cultured from the esophagus were inconsistent. A majority of textbooks found on the subject did not describe microbes to be living in the esophagus.
The researchers took an unconventional method to identify if there could be bacterial growth in the esophagus. Instead of culturing bacteria in Petri dishes, they used something called PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to magnify DNA extracted from biopsies of the esophagus. They then compared the DNA sequence to known bacterial DNA.
In summation of their findings, the researchers were able to find 95 species of bacteria, although some of these bacteria are known not to cause disease; evidence suggests there could be more species present. Most of the bacteria found were also common in the mouth, but the ones that are not are of concern to the scientists, possibly indicating that esophageal bacteria is unique. Further studies and experiments are being done by the team to specifically identify the bacteria that causes GERD and other esophageal ailments. Continue research on this page